BC

Adult sentencing sought

A Vancouver judge will decide today whether three youths convicted in the killing of 19-year-old Luka Gordic should be sentenced as adults.

The men were all 17 at the time of the 2015 swarming attack, and in October when the men received guilty verdicts — two for manslaughter, one for second-degree murder — disorder reigned in the courtroom as Gordic's family and friends shouted and banged on the glass separating the men from the general gallery.

After the verdict, the Crown said they would be pursuing having the men tried as adults.

"When the events happened, they were very close to being adults, and it's also a reflection of the seriousness of the charge," said Crown counsel Henry Reiner.

Gordic died in Whistler during the May long weekend of 2015, after a swift but brutal attack by up to 15 people during which he was kicked, punched and stabbed in the heart.

In a separate trial, Arvin Golic, who was 18 at the time of the assault, was convicted of manslaughter in June.

Mitch Gordic, the victim's father, said he hopes the remaining three facing sentencing are looking at "many years in jail."